Kilauea Volcano’s Gassy, Glassy ‘Laze’ a New Threat for Hawaii

Authorities warned that lava flows could produce noxious clouds of acid fumes, steam & tiny, glass-like particles.

File photo Lava slowly advances to Hookapu Street in the Leilani Estates of Hawaii.

(Photo: AP)

Hawaii residents coping with Kilauea's volcanic eruption faced a potentially deadly new hazard on Sunday (20 May) as authorities warned that lava flows reaching the Pacific Ocean could produce noxious clouds of acid fumes, steam and tiny, glass-like particles.

The civil defense notices cautioned motorists, boaters and beach-goers to beware of caustic plumes of "laze" formed from two streams of hot lava pouring into the sea after cutting across Highway 137 on the south coast of Hawaii's Big Island late on Saturday and early Sunday.

The bulletins also warned that reports of toxic sulfur dioxide gas being vented from various points around the volcano had tripled, urging residents to "take action necessary to limit further exposure."

The lava flows have destroyed dozens of homes and other buildings, displaced thousands of residents.

The first causality was reported on 19 May, A homemaker’s leg was splattered with lava while standing on the third-floor balcony of his home.

Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, began extruding red-hot lava and sulfuric acid fumes on 3 May. 

The occurrence of new lava-spewing vents have been accompanied by flurries of earthquakes and periodic eruptions.

Officials at the Hawaii Volcano Authority have said hotter and more viscous lava could be on the way, with fountains spurting as high as 600 feet.

With Highway 137 severed, authorities were trying to open up nearby Highway 11 on Sunday.

The sky turned red from lava flows in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii on Friday, 18 May. 

“Be aware of the laze hazard and stay away from any ocean plume,” the Hawaii County Civil Defense said, warning that potential hazards include lung damage, as well as eye and skin irritation.

Under Sunday's conditions, with strong winds and copious amounts of lava hitting the ocean, the laze plumes could extend as far as 15 miles (24 km), mostly along the coast and offshore, though the hazard would diminish the farther out to sea it blows, according to USGS geologist Janet Babb.

Authorities cautioned, however, that wind patterns can change abruptly. The US Coast Guard was "actively monitoring" the area to keep away all vessel traffic except permitted tour boats, the civil defense office said.

Laze killed two people when a lava flow reached the coast in 2000, and even a wisp can cause eye and respiratory irritation, the US Geological Survey said. Acid rain from laze has corrosive properties equivalent to diluted battery acid, the agency said.

The section of coastal Highway 137 and a nearby a state park in the area where lava was pouring into the ocean were both closed, and another road in the vicinity was restricted to local traffic as a precaution due to elevated levels of sulfur dioxide gas.

An air quality index for Kona, about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of the eruption site, was at "orange" level, meaning that older individuals and those with lung problems could be affected.

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